Childcare Cost Comparison Calculator
Compare daycare, nanny and family care side by side — monthly and yearly cost, and the cost per working hour.
How it works
Nanny/week = rate × hours · Monthly = weekly × 52 ÷ 12 · Yearly = weekly × 52 · Per hour = weekly ÷ hours
Childcare options are priced on different clocks — daycare and relatives by the week, nannies by the hour — so the fair comparison is a common per-hour and per-month figure. A nanny’s flat hourly rate makes it the most expensive for one child but often the cheapest per child for two or more, since the rate does not double. Converting weekly prices to monthly uses 52 weeks ÷ 12 so the numbers line up with a monthly budget.
Worked example
Daycare at $300/week is about $1,300 a month and $7.50/hr over a 40-hour week. A nanny at $22/hr is $880/week — about $3,813 a month. Family care at $100/week is roughly $433 a month, the cheapest here.
Frequently asked questions
Is a nanny or daycare cheaper?
For one child, daycare is almost always cheaper because the cost is shared across many families. A nanny can become competitive — or cheaper per child — with two or more children, since the hourly rate covers all of them.
Why convert weekly cost with 52 ÷ 12?
There are 52 weeks in a year but 12 months, and months are longer than four weeks. Multiplying weekly cost by 52 and dividing by 12 gives the true average monthly cost instead of undercounting.
Does this include taxes for a nanny?
No — a household employee may trigger payroll taxes ("nanny tax") on top of wages, which can add roughly 10% to the true cost. Add that to the nanny hourly rate for an apples-to-apples comparison.
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Educational estimate, not financial advice.